Look, being a Dolphins fan is basically a full-time job with zero benefits and high blood pressure. But if you’re trying to map out your life around the miami dolphins schedule 2025, you've probably noticed it was a wild ride from the jump. Most people just look at the wins and losses, but the real story of this season was the geography and some seriously weird scheduling quirks.
Madrid. Seriously. Who saw that coming?
The 2025 season wasn’t just about surviving the AFC East. It was about surviving a schedule that felt like it was designed by a travel agent with a grudge. From a Week 1 road trip to Indy to the historic flight over the Atlantic, the Dolphins had to pack their bags more than almost any other team in the league. Honestly, it's a miracle they kept it as competitive as they did.
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The Big Madrid Moment
Let’s talk about Week 11. Most years, mid-November is when you’re just trying to keep the team healthy for the December push. This time, the Dolphins were headlining the NFL's first-ever regular-season game in Spain. Playing at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium against the Washington Commanders was a massive deal.
It wasn't just a game; it was a vibe.
Miami won that one 16-13 in overtime, which was probably the highlight of the season for anyone who actually made the trip to Madrid. If you stayed home, you were up at 9:30 a.m. ET on a Sunday, coffee in hand, wondering why Tua and the gang looked a little jet-lagged. It was messy, but a win’s a win.
Breaking Down the Miami Dolphins Schedule 2025
The start of the year was brutal. We’re talking about three road games in the first five weeks. Usually, you want to build momentum at Hard Rock, but the league had other plans.
September 7: at Indianapolis (L 8-33)
September 14: vs. New England (L 27-33)
September 18: at Buffalo (L 21-31)
Starting 0-3 is a gut punch. Most fans were ready to check out by October. But then came that Monday Night Football clash against the Jets in Week 4. Hard Rock was actually rocking. Winning 27-21 under the lights gave everyone just enough hope to stick around for the rollercoaster that followed.
The Mid-Season Grind
By the time the bye week hit in Week 12, the team was gassed. They’d been to London (well, Madrid), Charlotte, Atlanta, and Cleveland. It’s hard to overstate how much those 1 p.m. starts in different time zones wear on a roster.
- October 19: A cold, miserable loss in Cleveland (6-31).
- October 26: A dominant 34-10 win in Atlanta that felt like the offense finally woke up.
- October 30: A Thursday night reality check against the Ravens (6-28).
You see the pattern? It was a "one step forward, two steps back" kind of year. The miami dolphins schedule 2025 didn't give them many breaks, especially with those back-to-back primetime games.
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Why December Usually Breaks Us
If you’ve followed this team for more than five minutes, you know December is where playoff dreams go to die in the South Florida humidity—or the freezing rain of the Northeast.
This year, the stretch from Week 14 to Week 16 was the gauntlet. They traveled to the Meadowlands to sweep the Jets (34-10), then had to head to Pittsburgh for a Monday night battle at Acrisure Stadium. That 15-28 loss to the Steelers was the nail in the coffin for the postseason. It’s tough to win in Pittsburgh in December. Period.
Then they came home to get absolutely dismantled by Joe Burrow and the Bengals, 21-45. It was one of those games where you just turn the TV off at halftime and go for a walk.
The Surprising Final Record
Miami finished the 2025 regular season at 7-10. On paper, it looks like a failure. But if you dig into the miami dolphins schedule 2025, they played six nationally televised games. They were the "it" team for the NFL's international expansion.
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They finished 3-3 in the division, which isn't terrible, but that Week 18 loss to the Patriots (10-38) really soured the ending.
Actionable Insights for the 2026 Offseason
If you're looking ahead after seeing how 2025 played out, here's what actually matters now:
- Watch the Travel Miles: The Dolphins were top-five in miles traveled this year. The front office needs to prioritize depth because the fatigue was visible by Week 15.
- Draft Focus: That 7-10 record puts Miami in a decent spot for the 2026 Draft. Keep an eye on the offensive line—the struggle against Cleveland and Baltimore showed that the current unit can't handle elite pass rushes when the weather turns.
- Ticket Strategy: If the 2026 schedule includes another international game, book your flights early. The Madrid game proved the Dolphins are a global brand now, and those tickets vanish in seconds.
- Hard Rock Advantage: Miami went 4-5 at home. That has to change. You can’t drop games to New England and Cincinnati at home and expect to be a playoff contender.
The 2025 season is in the books. It was historic for the wrong reasons at times, but that win in Spain is something fans will talk about for years. Now, we just wait for the 2026 draft to see how they fix the holes exposed by this year's schedule.